Scientists in Singapore have made a big leap on research on the ‘mini-brain’. These advanced mini versions of the human midbrain will help researchers develop treatments and conduct other studies into Parkinson’s Disease[1] (PD) and ageing-related brain diseases.

These mini midbrain versions are three-dimensional miniature tissues that are grown in the laboratory and they have certain properties of specific parts of the human brains. This is the first time that the black pigment neuromelanin has been detected in an organoid model. The study also revealed functionally active dopaminergic neurons.

The human midbrain, which is the information superhighway, controls auditory, eye movements, vision and body movements. It contains special dopaminergic neurons that produce dopamine – which carries out significant roles in executive functions, motor control, motivation, reinforcement, and reward. High levels of dopamine elevate motor activity and impulsive behaviour, whereas low levels of dopamine lead to slowed reactions and disorders like PD, which is characterised by stiffness and difficulties in initiating movements.

The Latest on: Midbrain organoids

August 3, 2016 - They're called organoids and represent a specific part of the brain, in this case — the midbrain. “We have shown that these subsets of neurons contain these pigments which are specific to certain groups of neurons within the midbrain,” research ...

August 2, 2016 - The human mid-brain, which is the information superhighway of the central nervous system, controls hearing, eye and body movements, and vision. It contains special neurons called dopaminergic neurons that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that ...

July 29, 2016 - Anchor: A research team led by South Korean and Singaporean scientists says it successfully cultivated midbrain-like organoids using human embryonic stem cells for the first time in the world. The scientists have expressed hope that their study will ...

April 25, 2016 - The researchers managed to circumvent these difficulties by 3D-printing miniaturized spinning bioreactors, which could then be used to produce a high number of organoids from human stem cells. These bioreactors allowed the researchers to examine Zika ...

April 22, 2016 - Song, his wife, Guo-li Ming, also of Johns Hopkins, and their colleagues designed the 3-D–printed mini bioreactors, and used them to grow organoids from human stem cells mimicking three brain regions: the forebrain, midbrain, and hypothalamus. The idea ...

October 6, 2015 - "I'll give you one example: If you want to study Parkinson's, you need the mid-brain. The best I can tell from all published research on organoids is they don't have the mid-brain. We have the mid-brain we are already moving toward trying to study them.".

August 20, 2015 - Anand says he has grown a brain – complete with a cortex, midbrain and brainstem – in a dish, comparable in maturity to that of a fetus aged 5 weeks. Anand and his colleague Susan McKay started with human skin cells, which they ... But not everyone is ...

August 18, 2015 - The brain organoid, engineered from adult human skin cells, is the most complete human brain model yet developed, said Rene Anand, professor of biological chemistry and pharmacology at Ohio State. The lab-grown brain, about the size of a pencil eraser ...

December 2, 2016 - "In a developed market, you are competing with cheaper forms of conventional power generation, such as gas and also hydro. Energy storage costs still have some way to come down for a hybrid plant like Kennedy Energy Park to be competitive," he said.

December 1, 2016 - SEATTLE - When firefighter paramedics Morlon Malveaux and Mark Pedeferri learned that their powerhorse diesel ambulance was going to be traded for a gas-powered hybrid they were more than a little concerned. The two, who run a Medic One rig ...